Unit 9: Past participles

1 Definition and formation

1.1 Definition

The past participle is the form of a verb used to make a range of past tenses and the passive :

J'ai beaucoup aimé son dernier film  

I really liked his / her last film

Elle a fini ses devoirs  

She's finished her homework

 

1.2 Formation

For -er verbs , remove the -er ending from the infinitive and replace with -é:

aimer  →  aimé

 

  See three more examples

For -ir verbs, remove the -ir ending from the infinitive and replace with -i:

finir  →  fini

 

  See three more examples

There are a large number of irregular formations of the past participle. Here are some of the most important:

 

 

  See three more examples

2 Use of past participles

Past participles are used in a range of different contexts. The most common are:

 

2.1 Compound tenses

For example:

 

•  The perfect

J'ai beaucoup aimé son dernier film  

I really liked his / her latest film

 

•  The passive

Je n'ai pas été informé de la situation  

I wasn't informed of the situation

 

•  The pluperfect

L'année précédente je l'avais rencontrée ailleurs  

The year before I had met her somewhere else

 

2.2 Other uses

•  Used on its own

Le repas fini, ils ont fait la vaisselle  

When the meal was over, they did the washing-up

 

•  Used as a noun

L'accident a fait deux blessés  

Two people were injured in the accident

 

•  Used as an adjective

C'était une journée de perdue  

The day was wasted

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